Holliston October 2021

October 2021 Find us on Facebook | Holliston Town News Page 7
Business Owner Overcomes Double Whammy Of
Pandemic And Cancer To Re-Open
By Susan Manning
Staff writer
It’s hard to find a person or
a business who has not been affected
by the Covid pandemic.
But for Ashland small business
owner Don Gordon, life got particularly
challenging when he
was diagnosed with cancer—just
as businesses were opening again.
Thanks to successful cancer
treatments, Gordon has been
able to re-open the shop on a
part-time basis starting this past
summer.
Q: Tell me a little bit about
yourself
A: We’ve been here since
1989, my wife Janet and me. We
have about five shows a year with
the Framingham Artists Guild,
the Franklin Artists Association.
We have a holiday show and
a few in between Intermezzo
shows. We’ve been doing a lot of
custom framing. We have a gift
shop with Boyds Bears and limited
editions and prints. And we
kind of just cater to the neighborhood
artists and the local guilds.
Q: When did things get off
track for you and your store?
A: When COVID-19, it shut
us down for six months, which
was kind of a devastating time
for everybody. And then when
we opened up, I think in September
of 2020, when things eased
up, unfortunately at the end of
March 2021, I was diagnosed
with cancer. Leukemia.
I was rushed to the hospital
and of course, the gallery was
closed because I’m the one that
does all the work. My wife has a
regular job. And you know, I returned
to the gallery when I got
out of the treatment and everything
was in remission. I didn’t
want to close the gallery because
I love doing what I’m doing and I
family-friendly
currently?
love working with the people and
flooring seeing final products, you know,
all framed. It’s what I want to do. SALE
So I came back on a part-time
basis, the middle of June.
I’m only here 9 to noon Monday
through Friday because I still
don’t want to stress myself out.
Great
for your
Indoors
Q: Has business recovered?
Are your customers returning?
A: We’re hearing from a lot of
my customers who have seen the
flags out front and stopped in to
wish me well—to find out what
happened. Our customer base is
great. We’ve had generations of
people use our services. I’ve had
customers come in when they’re
pregnant and now they’re pregnant
with their own kids, so they
continue to return to me.
Q: How do people in the area
know your business so well?
A: We cater to local original
artists from the local MetroWest
area and have some great artists
and we exhibit their work. We
love it.
We’ve had very good open
houses. Of course, we haven’t
had an open house with COVID-
19, and then we haven’t had an
open house in 2021 because of
me being sick. We were closed
from the 24th of March through
June.
Q: What’s going on at the shop
A: Right now we have a great
exhibit on display, with work
from 11 different artists on display
in the upper gallery.
We have about 45 to 50 pieces
in the upper gallery. And in the
lower gallery, we probably have
100 pieces shrink-wrapped and
some framed. And then we have
Advertise your business!
Call Jeremy: 413-204-5296
or email: jeremywardwell@localtownpages.com
in the gift shop, probably a couple
of hundred of posters. And
then about 50 limited edition
framed pieces.
The current exhibit will run
through the end of February.
When we get into March, then
we’ll probably have like the
Framingham Artists Guild. And
then Franklin Artists Guild—we
work with them too, and they
have an exhibit here.
Q: Where do your artists hail
from?
A: We have a lot from MetroWest
and artists from Hopedale.
Lisa Bailey from Franklin has
family-friendly
flooring SALE
Great
for your
Indoors
Spruce up your nest in time for winter
SAVE BIG
AND GET
BEFORE THE
HOLIDAYS*
ZERO INTEREST IF PAID
IN FULL WITHIN 18 MONTHS**
* / **See store for details.
The holidays are swiftly approaching. Soon
your house will be overrun with leftovers,
decorations, The holidays and are cheer. swiftly But approaching.
before you pick
up Soon that cider your house or eggnog, will be shop overrun the Family- with
Friendly Flooring Sale going on now at
leftovers, decorations, and cheer. But
Flooring America and save on the perfect
floors, before just you in time pick for up the that holidays. cider or eggnog,
shop the Family-Friendly Flooring Sale
going on now at Flooring America and
save on the perfect floors, just in time for
been an exhibitor here for about
20 years. They’re they’re some
of my steadfast exhibitors. I have
Pearl McCarthy from Natick. I
also have some artists from Framingham,
Ashland, and Holliston.
Q: How did you come to own
the shop?
A: I got out of Boston College
with a degree in marketing
and I went to work for Bradlees.
I worked there for 20 years and
Celebrating 50 Years of Service
and/or Installation
Carpet/Hardwood/Luxury
Vinyl/Area Rugs/Ceramic & Stone
508-520-2658
950 Chestnut Street
Franklin
then I decided I’d rather have my
own business.
Q: What keeps you coming
back?
A: I love what I’m doing because
I meet some great people
in my life and I love to see the
expressions on their faces when
they pick up the work I have
done.
I think I make an impact. I
have such a repeat customers,
that I’ve been around, it’s just fun
to watch the generations come
through here.
And I can’t forget that it’s just
been such an important time for
small businesses, trying to stay
open and trying to survive and
with COVID. I had the leukemia
on top of that, but I’m still here.
I’m surviving.
Premier Image is open weekdays,
from 9 AM to noon. The shop is located
at 290 Eliot St., Ashland. To
reach the store, call 508-881-4730.
your resource for beautiful floors
508-655-1393
1276 Worcester Street
(Rte. 9) Natick
24 hr Service 800-356-6777
FlooringAmerica1.com